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22 April 2014

District Represented by Congressman David Scott Ranks Near Bottom of American Well-Being Index

A new report on the "state of American well-being" found which congressional districts are feeling good and which are suffering.

Georgia's 13th Congressional District appears to be suffering most out of the districts that make up the Metro-Atlanta area. The district, represented by Democrat Rep. David Scott since 2002, came in last out of the 6 metro districts that were evaluated in the survey.

The data for districts were collected from January 2012 through December 2013.

The survey, conducted by Gallup and Healthways, uses a "Well-Being Index" that takes six factors into account: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and basic access to health care. According to the report, high well-being means healthier populations, more productive and profitable businesses, and more economically vibrant communities.

The district represented by David Scott lags well behind the rest of the congressional districts that make up the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Metro Atlanta districts such as the 6th district, 7th district, 5th district, 11th district and 4th district all scored within the top 50% within the US and at the top of the list for the Peach State. Residents in these districts experienced "high well-being, making their lives healthier and more satisfying," the report said.

"These high well-being locations tend to exhibit many shared characteristics, including lower chronic disease rates, lower incidence of obesity, more frequent exercise, less smoking, and a more positive outlook on their communities," the report reads.

Meanwhile, the 13th district, which includes, in part, Douglas, southern Cobb, southern Fulton, northern Fayette, most of Clayton and sections of Henry counties, did far worse than any other Metro Atlanta area, scoring near the bottom a study that included all congressional districts in the entire United States and well behind its counterparts in the Metro Atlanta area. This study actually ranks the 13th district 233 positions behind the 4th district, which includes parts of Decatur, Stone Mountain and Conyers.

The ranking analysis in the report states that a “well-informed and active leadership is crucial to a state’s success” in its well-being. The reports go on to say that, “no one should discount the role that leadership plays in engendering well-being among residents.”